Father, Mother, and Son
by Pkd
Summary: A one-shot between Lelouch, Kallen, and their son. AU with a different Zero Requiem and Lelouch the ruler of a unified Earth.


**22 A.T.U (After Terra Unification)/2040 a.t.b**

**New Pendragon**

"Checkmate." Lelouch Vi Terra said as he put forward the black queen piece towards his opponent's white king piece. "Ten minutes and thirty five seconds, you did much better than last time. Did you happen to practice, Naoto?"

Across the chess table sat a 16-year old teenager who resembled his younger self but with red hair and donned in a casual royal outfit, was staring at the ceiling in disinterest while leaning on the ornate chair.

"Practice? On chess? No way, dad, you know me so much that I wouldn't waste time practicing for chess." Naoto Vi Terra, King of Japan, chuckled. "I guess it's simply luck, or me getting smarter." He waved his hand as if it was nothing.

Lelouch let out a sigh as he massaged his head, the 1st Holy Terran Emperor had grown and changed considerably in the past decades. His skinny frame turning into a more fitter body thanks to finally doing some exercise after giving in to his wife and few of his trusted confidants. His hair was longer as it barely touched his shoulders. His face resembled his younger self, but aged and having some wrinkles due to the stress of being the ruler of the world - a position currently requiring keen attention and hard work to rebuild the world from the ruins to a peaceful one.

"Why am I not surprised, you have the intellect you could use in playing strategy games like chess, but it's focused on arts and engineering. Your mother was very proud of and hanged that over my head." Lelouch groaned, remembering Kallen being proud that her son wasn't a chess addict.

"Well all men aren't created." Naoto muttered which drew a frown from his father. "But they are born equal." Lelouch's frown disappeared when his son said those words.

"I was a bit concerned when you said the first line to be honest." Lelouch admitted as he brief feelings of concern for his son. "Your grandfather wasn't a nice man."

Naoto shrugged. "Not everybody is good at doing something, some are better than others in one aspect, others do better in different minor or major aspects. It's just finding what you're good at or simply going beyond your limits." Naoto stood up from his seat to leave the chess table in his dad's office. "Even if all men aren't created equal, we can be more."

"Hm, I look forward to our next match, Naoto." The emperor said to the 1st prince of the Holy Terran Empire.

"Alright old man, maybe I'll humor you and practice for the next match." The prince waved his hand at his father. "I'm heading off to work on my custom frame with mom."

"Tell your mom I said hi." Lelouch told his son as he watched his son walk out from his office.

The emperor of the world couldn't help but smile to himself at his sons and daughters he and Kallen brought to this world. The timeless joy they had with one another, the troubles they faced together, and the future burdens they'd have to bear as being part of the royal family. Naoto, Lucia, Somnus, Elizabeth, and Sakura; his pride and joy, and his greatest gift to the world. They were one of his ways to repent for his sins, they represented his legacy where they would be a better person than their father.

There were many things he regretted doing in trying to bring about a better world, the deaths and suffering he directly and indirectly caused, and the sins he committed. He had been working everyday to make the world a better place to make up for it, but he knew there were some he couldn't be forgiven for… And the guilt and lies he would have to forever bear.

The lies he'll have to forever keep hidden from his own children and the world he was ruling. The sacrifices and blood spilled in fighting against the Black Knights and Schneizel at Battle of Britain where he was officially coronated, where everything had led to him ruling the world with the UFN acting under his will to bring about a peaceful world. The acts he has to commit in the shadows to spare the world another war and keeping a peaceful world for the new generation to prosper in, oblivious to certain details they'll never know about.

Suzaku was right, living was the worst punishment.

* * *

Naoto grumbled as he looked at the blueprint of his custom knightmare frame he was designing personally himself, as part of an engineering project he was partly doing for Camelot division and Ashfordshire and his own interest. So far he managed to get the power core working and the cockpit system operational with the chassis, which was a Vincent, but the problems he was encountering was somehow getting the things he wanted with his custom frame working in harmony. Despite decades passing by ever since the Unification War, military technology has been going under a crawl due to funding relocated to rebuilding and more civilian technologies.

Though that doesn't mean some innovation or advancements wouldn't completely stop him from his pet project. Now the only thing he has to do is strengthening the leg servos to allow his frame to move without land spinners, getting the RWS tech to fit comfortably on the arms, and working on that prototype Luminous booster drive that should theoretically get his frame to space.

"Those leg servos you're working is pretty interesting, Lloyd and Rakshata would intrigued in finally giving the knightmares the ability to walk." Kallen remarked to her son.

"Thought that knightmares needed to walk with them being humanoid, and giving something to go around without land spinners." Naoto replied to his mom. "Also Mom, is it possible to fit a radiant surge device with similar performance like the Guren Mk3 to a normal arm size?"

"Not possible, you're going to sacrifice a lot of performance to fit comfortable within a normal arm size. You'll have to get Rakshata's help on that one. Though others are workable, but the Luminous booster drive sounds… Radical, even if working off of an energy wing system." Kallen raised an eyebrow on the device mounted on the back of the modified Vincent.

"That's why I'm trying to modify the energy wing system to a prototype version of what I'm thinking of. Only problem is getting it to work that some average joe could fly it but having enough speed." Naoto said while climbing up the ladder leading to his frame's exposed legs as he worked on re-calibrating and analyzing it.

Kallen looked on as her son worked on his personal knightmare frame he wanted to be innovative as possible, trying to make it a space-faring one. An effort he would need the support of the Camelot Division to make it fully work, and also making sure Lloyd and Rakshata didn't go too overboard. It was refreshing to see her and Lelouch's firstborn taking on a more peaceful path than them as he expressed interests in arts and engineering, and also not being chess-addict, she had enough of those in her life.

The former ace of the Black Knights never thought all of her life choices would lead her to becoming an Empress. Back as a simple resistance fighter who wanted to free Japan and thought all Britannians as the same, she had come a long way through suffering, losses, betrayals and fighting to arrive at where she was. Her undying love for Lelouch made her do feats thought not to be possible, and take certain actions she wouldn't normally do, and finally be in a position she would never even dream of taking.

Like mother, like daughter, doing anything we can to be there for our loved ones.

Kallen shook her head out of the musing as she went forward to help out her son with his frame.


End file.
